The last decade has been a testament to brand building on the internet. Brands today are living in the ‘do’ moment of marketing – simply showing up every time something trends. Brands have a take on everything. They have a say in the game. After all, consistent brand presentation across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%.

These quick, witty endeavors devised to bring brands to the top of consumers’ minds are known as ‘moment marketing’. When brands take part in real-time events to build conversation, connect with users, and fall right on the expectation, they become immortal.

On the other hand, brands that fail to take action now are setting themselves up for failure.

Also read: How Top Brands Leverage Moment Marketing And How You Can Too (Examples & Insights)

What is moment marketing?

Using real-time events, trends, or cultural moments to engage with the target audience is moment marketing. This entails creating timely and relevant content that resonates with consumers during specific moments, such as holidays, sports events, and wildly viral and social trends.

Today’s consumers survive on the internet. Moment marketing allows them to leverage it with immediate context, and capture the attention of consumers by aligning the brand’s messaging and creative assets with the current mood.

As more and more consumer brands go digital in India, there’s a pressing need to collect the mind-share – after all, out of sight is out of mind. As a result, India’s direct-to-customer sector is thriving under this momentum.

Here’s an example from boAt jumping in on the Barbie vs Oppenheimer trend on Twitter.

The drill is to always be on top of things happening online. From viral memes to the latest movie releases, brands are finding a moment in everything to stay connected to their target audience.

Why do D2C brands need it?

With roughly 700 million internet users and 190 million online shoppers, the country has the third-largest digital shopping base after the USA and China. As we know that D2C brands operate without traditional distribution networks of wholesalers, stockists, or retailers; they need moment marketing more than anyone.

In the realm of marketing in 2023, awareness, consideration, and community building are all a by-product of how strong your brand game is. Moment marketing allows the brand to create a unique identity and space for themselves which is what leads to better revenues. The key is to say the right thing at the right time.

In all honesty, moment marketing is a great equalizer in the world of high-pixel cameras, big teams, and tectonic marketing budgets. Now, any brand with little to no marketing budget sitting on a great idea and execution speed can go viral. The ultimate goal of is to create marketing campaigns that bear the cultural weight of their target audiences. From branding to launching a new product line, it lets brands be flexible in their approach and use a rather casual appeal towards their audience.

Here’s an example from Mokobara, an Indian D2C brand that sells durable and stylish suitcases. A couple of weeks ago when the Bangalore rent prices, traffic and intra-city commute chatter was doing rounds on Twitter, the brand used this as an opportunity to talk about the launch of their first brick-and-mortar store showcasing an excellent present-in-the-moment gimmick.

7 Ways to Excel in Moment Marketing for D2C Campaigns

Understanding the audience’s moments

Dissecting who your customers are and what they expect from you as a brand is the beginning of all things fabulous in marketing. If your audience is GenZ, talk to them in internet slang and memes. Here’s an example from BlissClub, a D2C activewear for women trying to keep it real on social media.

What you see is a popular meme being used to highlight the longevity and durability of the brand. This post is 10x better for its current audience than its regular ads.

Monitor trending topics & events

All the marketing teams that are slaying on the internet are spending at least an hour a day going through social media and pop-cultural trends to stay informed about trending topics and events.

This real-time monitoring allows you to identify emerging trends, viral conversations, or breaking news that you can leverage to engage with your audience. One of the pioneers in moment marketing is Amul. The brand is running topical advertisements since 1966 in print, billboards, and radio.

Acting fast

Speed is critical. Brands that are agile develop a responsive framework that enables them to act swiftly when a moment arises. Usually, branding and marketing teams get stuck in the processes of approvals from legal, which is where the ball drops.

We advise teams to operate flexibly and allow room for creativity. All social-first marketing teams have systems and a brand checklist to make decision-making easier.

This enables teams to capitalize on time-sensitive moments by promptly launching creative campaigns. Here’s an interesting take by Ixigo on Meta’s Thread. In July, when Facebook launched Thread, a Twitter competitor, the internet went berserk.

Ixigo used this opportunity to talk about its services in a quirky way. It used Thread’s logo and tweaked it into a train track with a train emoji at the end. The copy ‘ready to embark on a new journey’ addresses both, the launch of Thread and a question to a daily traveler.

Factor in relevancy

We’ve spoken about watching out for trends and bringing speed to the system, but we do not mean for you to skip relevancy from this equation. Creating content that resonates with your target audience during specific moments is essential.

What brands need to be cognizant of is that moment marketing is a combination of great timing, relevancy of the content, understanding the audience and expressing it through great storytelling.

• Use humor in your posts
• Stay close to your brand identity, and messaging. Do not break out of your brand character
• Be aware of what your competitors are doing to stay inspired
• Make sure your brand message is rooted in the message

Here’s a great example from Bewakoof jumping in on the Barbie VS Oppenheimer debate. The brand leveraged this popular image from the movie promotions to show its own product catalog in the following images.

Dissecting distribution

What may work on Twitter may not be well suited on Instagram. Yes, we know while most trends are common across channels, sometimes, in the essence of doing it right, it is imperative to spend some time learning about the user demographics and behavior patterns of your audience across channels.

Draft compelling captions and even change the messaging to fully maximize the impact of your efforts.

Personalize the content

A few years ago, Swiggy broke the internet with its highly personalized Instagram-first campaign – #VoiceOfHunger. They used Instagram’s voice note as part of the campaign and engaged with users. This one-of-a-kind initiative worked so well that it broke their Instagram account – for several hours, the brand’s account could not be used.

Such personalization enhances the experience. Creating such dynamic elements in your campaign gives the brand an edge.

Analyzing the results

Brands use numerous social voice or sentiment management tools to measure the effects of their marketing initiatives. For instance, for a trending hashtag, a brand can analyze impressions, reach, and engagement generated for their posts VS their competitors. Leverage data analytics to gain insights into audience responses, identify areas of improvement, and optimize future efforts.

Quick moment marketing FAQs

• What are the top benefits?
• What are the most popular channels for?
  • Social Media
  • Print media
  • Influencer marketing
  • News and media outlets
  • Mobile application (notifications, banner ads, interstitials, etc)
• Relevance in India?
• How can D2C brands get started with it?
  • Seasonal Promotions: D2C brands can create timely promotions for seasonal events, holidays, or special occasions.
  • Real-time Social Media Engagement:: D2C brands can engage with customers on social media in real-time for enhanced interactions.
  • Location-based Offers: D2C brands can deliver targeted offers based on customers’ specific locations.
  • Event-triggered Campaigns: D2C brands can respond to customer milestones with personalized campaigns.
  • Weather-based Recommendations: D2C brands can tailor marketing messages based on real-time weather conditions.
  • Abandoned Cart Reminders: D2C brands can remind customers about abandoned carts with incentives to boost conversions.
  • Trend and Pop Culture Tie-ins: D2C brands can leverage current trends for relevant marketing campaigns.
  • Personal Milestone Celebrations: D2C brands can celebrate customers’ personal milestones with personalized messages or offers.
  • Time-sensitive Flash Sales: D2C brands can create urgency with time-sensitive flash sales or limited-time offers.
  • Dynamic Content Optimization: D2C brands can optimize content based on real-time customer behavior for enhanced engagement.

Let’s get you cracking on moment marketing

89% of marketers see a positive ROI when they use personalization in their campaigns. When brands participate in ongoing conversations on the internet, they chance upon building a unique bond with their audience. It can help a brand increase its reach by multifolds at a very low cost.

To take your first steps with moment marketing, spend time online to understand what your target audience is engaging in and then take a stab.

Curious about how you can get started with moment marketing for your brand? Book a demo with WebEngage. Identify your marketing levers, dissect personalization channels and get started today.